Lesson Two

Black Ships & Samurai, Lesson 02

The American-Japanese Encounter:
Multiple Perspectives in Art

Introduction
In this activity, students consider how cross-cultural encounters, or any events, are variously experienced. This differential experience is one level of “multiple perspectives.” At another level, how the encounter or event is recorded—the medium used (words, photographs, woodblocks, lithographs, paintings, drawings) and how the artist’s own styles and choices affect that rendering—are an important second level of “multiple perspectives.” Students consider all of these dimensions as they select parallel pieces of American and Japanese artwork from within the Essay section of the Black Ships & Samurai unit and analyze the styles of artwork and their messages. They then apply their knowledge by selecting a pair of images to represent the information in this Web site through another delivery system, such as an exhibit book.

National History Standards

Objectives
At the conclusion of this activity, students will be better able to:

1. Compare and contrast different visual recordings of the same or comparable events.

2. Discuss similarities and differences that emerge across two different recordings of the same event.

3. Consider the story or message presented in a particular pairing of images and apply that information in a creative project.

Time Required
One or two class periods, including time spent working online.

Materials
Handout 02-A, 02-B, 02-C; Web access

Procedure
1. Explain that experiences are never perceived exactly the same way by two or more people. Ask students for examples from their own experience—how they perceived a party, an incident in class, a sports event. Imagine how different the perceptions of an event might be if people were experiencing it from entirely different cultural backgrounds, and with little knowledge of the other culture or its people. The Japanese and American artwork of the Perry encounter captures such experiences and perceptions vividly. The artwork provides a detailed—and often humorous—record of the initial encounters that are a valuable tool for historians.

Explain that students will be analyzing how American and Japanese artists experienced and then captured in their art the first encounters between the people of the two countries.

2. In this activity, students will work in pairs to conduct an analysis of parallel images of a single event from the Black Ships & Samurai Essay. Depending on grade level and ability, students may work independently to identify parallel images of the same event on their own by working through the Essay online. Alternatively, students may be assigned to analyze images that have already been paired, using Handout 02-A. Steps for the independent option are provided in A (below); steps for the worksheet option are provided in B (below).

A. For students working on their own to find parallel pieces of artwork online in the Essay, conduct the activity as follows. Ask students to find a partner with whom to work and assign each pair of students to one of the following sections of the Black Ships & Samurai Essay: “Encounters:Facing East” and “Encounters:Facing West;” “Portraits;” or “Gifts.” Explain that their assignment is to work in pairs to identify two parallel pieces of artwork within their assigned section of the Essay. Encourage students to move beyond the paired illustrations that open each section of the Essay. For this task, students should be moving deeper into their assigned section. Explain to students that their first job is to read through their section of the Essay and to select two images—one created by an American artist (or photographer) and one created by a Japanese artist—that present the same event. Have students use the copy-and-paste function on their computer to copy these images into a Word or PowerPoint document so that they can examine them in detail, side by side. Allow time for students to explore their assigned section of the Black Ships & Samurai Essay online and select a pair of images.

B. If students will work with pre-assigned images on the handout, begin the activity as follows. Ask each student to find a partner with whom to work, then assign partners to work with one of the three sets of images on Handout 02-A. Note that Handout 02-A provides one set of paired images from each of the following sections of the Essay: “Encounters:Facing East” and “Encounters:Facing West;” “Portraits;” or “Gifts.” Students can click on the image on the worksheet to go to an enlarged view. Students may need to go online to the Image Gallery to find the images in the appropriate size and detail to conduct their analysis.

3. Whether following procedure 2A or 2B (above), now distribute Handout 02-B and review the retrieval charts, making sure students understand what each question in the matrix is asking. Allow approximately 15 to 20 minutes for students to complete the analysis of the paired image they selected. Clarify that each pair of students will only be completing one section of the retrieval chart at this time.

4. Jigsaw students so that you have new groups of three students each, with one student representing each of the three sections of the Essay they examined in the previous task. Have students report on their paired images and the analysis they conducted using their worksheet to guide discussion. Other students in the group will fill in the remaining sections of the retrieval chart during this jigsaw session.

5. Distribute Handout 02-C to each group and have them complete the questions and culminating activity as a group. Collect Handout 02-C worksheets or discuss in class for closure to the activity.

(To shorten steps 4 and 5, teachers may choose to bring all students back together as a full class and ask for volunteers to report on their analysis of each of the three sections of the Essay, using Handout 02-C as a guide for discussion.)

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